Chocolate Air...

I am an eighth grade language arts/social studies teacher in Ohio. I started this blog to keep track of all the great books I read so I could share them with my students. I now use this blog in class for book talks so my students can keep up to date on the world of books that I so dearly love. It is my hopes that this blog will continue to be a source of exciting book finds for my current and former students to explore. Send me your comments! I look forward to hearing from you!

Monday, October 24, 2011

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Helen Frost's newest novel in verse, Hidden. So much has already been written about this beautiful book. Suffice it to say, I have one copy in the classroom and four (that's right....four!) copies of this book from our town's library loan system making their way into readers' hands and hearts.

"When Wren Abbott and Darra Monson are eight years old, Darra's father steals a minivan. He doesn't know that Wren is hiding in the back. The hours and days that follow change the lives of both girls. Darra is left with a question that only Wren can answer. Wren has questions, too.

"Years later, in a chance encounter at camp, the girls face each other for the first time. They can finally learn the truth—that is, if they’re willing to reveal to each other the stories that they’ve hidden for so long. Told from alternating viewpoints, this novel-in-poems reveals the complexities of memory and the strength of a friendship that can overcome pain."

Please visit Anita Silvey's Children's Book-a-Day Almanac by clicking HERE. Ms. Silvey writes eloquently about Hidden, and I agree completely when she writes, "After reading the book in one gulp, both adults and children will want to go back to this complex book and learn more about the characters."

Put this next book on your reading radar! Not being released until January 2012, May B. by Caroline Starr Rose is an engaging historical novel in verse that will leave you wanting to reread your favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder book!

Mavis Elizabeth Betterly...May Betts...May B is sent to help out on a neighbor's homestead. She begrudgingly leaves her ma and pa and brother Hiram to go to Mr. Oblinger's soddy to be a companion for his new wife who is a novice to the hardships of Frontier life. "It's just till Christmas, May" her pa promises.

However, between the water coming through the roof, snakes getting inside, the grime of the dirt floor, and the loneliness of the Frontier, the new Mrs. Oblinger cannot bear one more minute. With the guise of a trip on the prairie to see all that she can see, Mrs. Oblinger rides off and does not come back. Mr. Oblinger is worried enough to go in search of his new wife, if only to make sure she finds her way. May B is left to tend the house.

"Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May's memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her." (from Amazon)

Will May B. find her way home again?

Maybe May B. can make it.Maybe May B. can't.

This is a book I will recommend to my sixth and seventh grade readers. It is a historical fiction read that does not intimidate. May B. is a spunky, determined, and strong-willed twelve year-old. She will surely be remembered by all who read her adventure.

Click HERE to watch the book trailer. Click HERE to watch the author explain how sod houses were made during the pioneer days.

Happy Reading!Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!P.P.S. Thank you, Worch Library, for the review copy! BEST librarians putting books in the hands of kids!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Hello, little bloggity-blog! Nice to see you! And nice to see you, dear readers! It has been a busy back-to-school time. I have missed posting great books. So let's get the action started!

ACTION! SUPERHERO ACTION!

Dan Santat brings his new graphic novel, Sidekicks, to a Scholastic book order near you. Located in the September issue of Scholastic Arrow magazine, Sidekicks is a book I have already booktalked to my sixth graders.

The vivid illustrations packed with action and excitement are so colorful that readers will be drawn to this graphic novel. Watch the book trailer HERE and you, too, will want to pick up a copy of this book without even hearing the plot!"Captain Amazing, superhero and savior of Metro City, is getting old. He's out all hours battling arch-villains, catching thieves, and helping little old ladies cross the street. He doesn't even have time for his house full of pets. He needs - a SIDEKICK!

Captain Amazing's four pets agree. But each one of them thinks HE should get the sidekick spot - and a chance for one-on-one time with the Captain. Get ready for sibling rivalry royale as pets with superpowers duke it out for the one thing they all want - a super family."Do I really need to say more? Calling all fans of the Amulet series! While you are impatiently waiting for Amulet 5, take Sidekicks for a spin. I promise a nonstop, rip-roaring, crime-fighting adventure that will activate the SUPERHERO in you!

Click HERE to visit the book's webpage. You can learn all about Fluffy, Shifty, Manny, and Rosco as well as download the 275 page PDF of The Art of Sidekicks. Wow!